Nerul cleared his throat. "I have messages to deliver to you both, Your Highnesses. Your father, Prince, sends his warmest congratulations on your escape. He fully endorses your suggestion that Gerfal support the resistance and will be sending arms and supplies as soon as possible. He says you are at liberty to choose your own
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course from here on as he places full trust in you to decide in the best interests of your people."
Ramil smiled. He knew his father was sending a coded apology for having doubted his judgment in the autumn.
"And as for you, Princess Taoshira, you will not be surprised to learn that your people also rejoice at your freedom. The correspondent, one entitled the Etiquette Mistress, regrets that they are not empowered to offer full assistance to either us or Gerfal as this would be tantamount to a declaration of war on Fergox Spearthrower. That decision rests with all four Crown Princesses in concert. However, she takes into account your instructions to defend aggressively their ships presently at anchor in Falburg harbor." Nerul looked up. "By that, I guess, you have told them to protect the sea approach to the Gerfalian capital?"
Tashi nodded. "It was the best I could do on my own authority. They have rules of engagement to respond if attacked. Fergox cannot get past them without provoking my ships to open fire."
"That is very good. Unfortunately, it may not be enough. Foiled in his plan to force an alliance upon Gerfal by causing a war between your two countries, the Spearthrower has determined on a full assault on Gerfal as soon as the snows melt. King Lagan is aware of this and knows he faces an impossible defense without powerful allies. And I believe, Your Highness, one of your last acts before your abduction was to call the alliance off?"
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The Fourth Crown Princess inclined her head. "Yes, I did."
Ramil looked down at his nails.
"Then Gerfal will fall and Fergox triumph once more." Nerul threw the letters on the desk in contempt.
In the silence that followed, Tashi felt everyone in the room was thinking that she was to blame for this. She even thought so herself. If she hadn't been so hasty to run away from marriage with Ramil, negotiations could have continued for their mutual self-defense. It was too late to call back the messenger bird. The only answer was to return to the Blue Crescent Islands herself and argue that the alliance should go ahead even without the marriage. She owed it to kindly King Lagan, to the people of Gerfal, to Ramil.
"I now regret my actions and will do all I can to repair them. I will return to my sisters and beg them to send our navy to aid you," Tashi said steadily, knowing what she was proposing was highly dangerous and probably
impossible, but she had to do something. "I will leave immediately."
Merl crossed the floor and put a hand on her arm. "Tashi, Tashi, you can't possibly know what you are saying. You'll be caught--dragged off to Fergox again. We couldn't bear that--I couldn't bear that."
The Fourth Crown Princess brushed his hand off and froze him with her glare. "I am well aware of the risks, my lord. I am not a heedless girl to be told to sit quietly in a corner while others take action, but a ruler of my country with a responsibility to our friends and allies."
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She turned to Nerul, knowing that he would understand this. "I am grateful for the shelter you have given me these past weeks, Your Grace, and would value your advice how best to proceed. To return home by the south means I will have to travel in lands strange to me. Perhaps your network will be able to assist?"
Nerul rose and bowed, impressed by the girl's determination. "I place it at your disposal, Princess."
"And obviously, I will accompany the Princess," Ramil said firmly. Tashi opened her mouth to protest but he continued, "If you do not let me travel with you, Princess, then I will follow. You will not deny that this political alliance concerns me closely. My father has left me to be my own judge and it is clear to me that I can best serve my country by ensuring your safe return to your court. I ask nothing else." He held her eye, his expression stubborn.
"And the Princess is going nowhere without me," said Gordoc, crossing his arms on his chest, daring her to refuse him.
The Fourth Crown Princess arched her fingers and pressed them to her lips, trying to stop her outward control from collapsing. They had just offered to follow her into mortal danger. But she knew that she stood a much better chance with them by her side so, though her instinct was to protect them, her duty was to accept.
"I thank Prince Ramil ac Burinholt and Gordoc Ironfist for their generous offer. I will leave tomorrow at dawn and would be grateful for their company."
She
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rose and swept out of the room.
Merl followed her. He burst into her room without asking leave to enter. She had her back to him, head in her hands.
"Tashi, I thought we understood each other!" he appealed to her, grabbing her elbow to swing her round. "I want you to stay here with me--never to leave my side."
"Please do not touch me, Merl," she said, trying to pry his fingers off her arm.
"I do not have the luxury of considering my own or your feelings on this subject."
He seized her other arm, holding her tightly. "You can't go. You'll be killed."
"It is my duty to try." She looked down, trying to prevent any of those signals that apparently so confused him.
Merl's handsome brow was pinched with concern. "Send a messenger--
send Ramil. There is no sense in risking yourself. You are too precious--let others go in your place."
"I will not send others on a journey I would not undertake myself, least of all Prince Ramil. Only I can reinstate the alliance. Please let me go. You have no right to touch me like this. You're hurting me."
"I have the right of a lover who will not let his lady be parted from him." He bent forward, seeking her mouth, but she twisted away.
"I do not want you as a lover, sir. I have never wanted you. Let me go!"
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Her cry brought an instant response. Before Merl could force a kiss on her, Gordoc was in the room and had him by the scruff of the neck.
"Even among us poor folk, your lordship, a lady's 'no' means 'no,'" Gordoc said, giving Merl a shake.
Nerul appeared at the tent flap, his expression furious. Ramil stood behind him, fists curled.
"Brother," barked Nerul, "you forget yourself and carry your intrigues too far.
Under my roof, the Princess Taoshira is entitled to her privacy and certainly to be spared such ungentlemanly treatment. Leave her in peace."
Dumped on the floor, Merl straightened his clothes and stalked from the room.
Nerul turned back to Tashi. "Forgive us, Your Highness. Merl has over-reached himself. His concern for you is his only excuse."
Tashi collected her dignity. "And I ask your forgiveness for anything that I have done that may have prompted him to hope where there was none."
Nerul gave a crooked smile. "I fear you are too kind to Merl. I know my brother well. He is experienced at this game and doubtless had you swimming into his net. Your decision to depart does not suit him. He thinks first of his pleasure, rather than his responsibility to his people. However, unlike him, I see the necessity and would like to offer you all assistance. Is there anything you require? I will give orders for packs of supplies to be made up. You leave as you came with your two horses?"
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"And a mount, if I may beg one for myself. I do not wish to be a burden on my companions."
"Consider it done. Anything else?"
Tashi held her arms out, displaying her finery. "I was once told that you needed suitable clothes to ride a horse. Would you be able to find me something more practical?"
"We should disguise ourselves," Ramil added, stepping forward to take part in the discussion. He had been silent during the scene with Merl, fiercely happy to see his rival rejected by Tashi. "1 think it best if I maintain my character as a mercenary from the south.
Perhaps the Princess may
condescend to take the part of my sister and dress accordingly."
Tashi wondered since when Ramil had felt the need to ask her to
"condescend" to anything, but his idea was a good one.
"I would be happy to, sir, if such dress can be found," she replied with equal formality.
"And Gordoc here, if he wouldn't mind the indignity, could travel as our slave bodyguard. The desert dwellers are known to keep slaves like most of the people in those parts."
"Mind?" rumbled the giant. "Old Gordoc's skin is too thick to take offense. I'll be your slave, master." He thumped Ramil on the back, making him stagger.
"I will see to the disguises," said Nerul. "I suggest you get your rest, that is if you keep to your intention to ride at first light?"
"I do," said Tashi. "Time is running out."
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"I will send messages ahead of you. If you would care to eat with me before you leave, I will give you as much advice as I can, maps too if I can find some suitable."
"Thank you, Your Grace."
Tashi dismissed them all with a bow. The three men retired from the room.
No sooner had Gordoc got Ramil alone than he dug him in the ribs. "Now you should be happy, young pup: she sent him packing and you have her to yourself again, just like old times."
"This isn't about her and me, Gordoc. This is state business," Ramil said stiffly.
"Go on, admit that you're pleased." Gordoc whistled to the crescent moon cheerfully.
Ramil met his friend's grin and broke into a smile. "All right, I'm pleased. For some mad reason, I'd prefer to be heading into danger with Tashi than leaving her to sit anywhere within a mile of Merl ac Moilinder."
"I knew it." The giant chuckled. "I knew it!"
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Chapter 13
Seamstresses worked through the night to make Tashi and Ramil the long flowing robes of the Southern people. Tashi woke to find hers hanging on the screen in her chamber--a loose purple gown with a veil that covered her face with only a gauze to allow her to see. It was designed for protection against the fierce sandstorms of the desert, but it suited her purposes perfectly here in the cold north. Wearing a pair of long leather gloves, she would be completely hidden.
Having completed her rituals, she arrived at breakfast to find the table more crowded than she had expected. In addition to Nerul, a chastened Merl, Ramil and Gordoc were Professor Norling, Melletin, and the dark-haired woman Tashi had once glimpsed on the practice fields. The men rose on her entrance. Nerul conducted her to the chair at his right hand.
"The robes are perfect," Tashi said, more like her old self than the formal Fourth Crown Princess of the last few days. "Please thank those who made them."
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"My wife and her sisters were only too pleased to help." Professor Norling beamed.
Nerul passed Tashi a cup of hot kava. "I have given thought overnight to your travels and have some suggestions to make. The first is that you should take one of my people with you as a guide, at least for the part of the road that lies through Kandar. Melletin has volunteered. He says he owes you for the lesson you taught him on your first meeting."
Tashi furrowed her brow. "What lesson was that?"
Melletin grinned and touched his forehead. "To wear a helmet when attacking strangers."
Nerul smiled. "And if you would also accept the company of Yelena here, you will find she is most surprisingly accomplished in all matters regarding fighting."
Tashi remembered seeing the woman dump a much larger man in the dust so had no trouble believing him.
"I would be grateful to have the female companionship."
"And finally, our good professor has an errand in the Holtish capital, Tigral. If you would not mind including him in your party, it would save me sending another fighter away with him."
"Of course I would be delighted to have his company too, but would that not make our party suspiciously large?" asked Tashi.
Professor Norling shook his head. "I have thought of that, my dear. Melletin and Yelena will travel as man
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and wife, and will join us as chance acquaintances met on the road. That means it will be possible for them to travel ahead and check what lies before us where necessary. As for myself, I will be travelling on the invitation of the Horse Follower mercenary here to study medicine among his people." His eyes took on a distant longing. "Actually, that's something I've always wanted to do. It is a shame there is no time."
"No, Tadex," Nerul said with a fond look at the old man, "I need you to contact the network in Tigral. We have to know what steps Fergox is taking to protect his supply chain." He turned back to Tashi. "I thought this best because Fergox is still looking for you and knows that three are travelling together. Like this the pattern is confused. You can rearrange your party, arriving in different combinations at the settlements along the way, confusing any reports that might be sent back to him."
"I've also had my best students forge you some papers," Professor Norling added. "Passports and other supporting documents, that's if we meet a soldier able to read. Shocking lack of education throughout the Empire these days!" He subsided into a mutter of complaint.
"You seem to have thought of everything," said Tashi. "I am very grateful."
"Though I would wish to help you in any case, Your Highness," Nerul explained, "you are also an investment for us. If you can bring your country into this war now before it is too late for the East, then we
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might be able to turn the tide against Fergox and begin to reclaim our lands from him."
"I'll drink to that, Your Grace," Tashi replied, raising her cup to his.
The horses were saddled and ready for them outside the tent. Thunder was looking eager for the adventure and in excellent condition, well groomed and fed. The Inkar's warhorse, named Snowy by Gordoc, seemed more resigned, perhaps because he anticipated many weary miles carrying more weight than all the other mounts. Melletin's horse was a chestnut gelding, several hands smaller than the warhorses but matching them in fighting spirit. The mare Tashi had ridden was also waiting, as well as three more sturdy beasts, one loaded with the extra bags. From the cases of scientific instruments peeping out from among the food supplies, Tashi guessed that Professor Norling did not understand the concept of travelling light.
After the scene the night before, Tashi had not been expecting to escape without exchanging a few words with Merl, so she was prepared when he arrived at her side to help her mount.
"I apologize for my behavior yesterday," he said in a low voice. "I have suffered a sleepless night in bitter repentance."
"Then I forgive you, sir," Tashi replied, assuming her most regal air.
"I was serious when I said that I wanted you by my
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side always. If our destiny allows us to meet again, I hope you will give me the opportunity to prove my sincerity."
Will he not take "no" for an answer? she wondered, secretly irritated by his persistence.
"Sir, 1 wish you and your brother all good fortune in your struggle, but do not look to such a time. I pray that you find your happiness here with someone else. 1 can offer you no hope."
"Then I will wait without hope, because I must."
With a final farewell to Nerul, the party headed out on the paths winding across the Fens. Tashi nudged her horse in line behind Melletin, trying not to think too much about what lay ahead, nor worry about the suitor she had left behind. Her inexperience as a rider helped as she spent so much time concentrating on her mare, Flake, that she forgot to fret. For some miles, they rode in silence through the freezing mist, each absorbed in his or her own thoughts. The cold was penetrating. Tashi had to keep flexing her fingers to stop them from turning to ice. Finally, Melletin signalled a halt in a clump of willows.
"This is a good spot--the last shelter before we reach the main north-south road."
Immediatel
y, Ramil was at Tashi's stirrup to help her dismount but then walked back to tend to his own mount. Tashi chewed her lip, wondering how they could break this awkwardness between them. Before she could think of anything, Yelena came up to her and touched her discreetly on the shoulder.
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"Your Highness, there's a place where you and I can go if you would like a private bush."
"Thank you." Tashi followed the Brigardian woman off the path and into the rushes. "But you must call me Tashi, Yelena," she called to the warrior's straight back.
The woman turned and grinned. Her front tooth was chipped, giving her a roguish look, and her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "That's good. I was worried you were going to be all stuck-up and formal with me."
"No, that's only for the men," Tashi admitted, jumping over a streamlet.
Yelena yelped with laughter.
"I never feel more foreign than when trying to understand them," Tashi confessed.
"Join the rest of us, sister. They are strange creatures. No wonder your people put their women in charge. I've often thought things would've been different if men like Fergox had been kept in their place."
"Ah yes, but then you'd have women like the Inkar running things. She is formidable."
"True. I had forgot her." Yelena showed Tashi a clear place on the bank to wash. "But you speak as if you've seen her."
"I have. And Ramil even danced with her."
"You are joking?"
Yelena found the idea of this so hilarious that she roared with laughter and had trouble standing. She still had not calmed down when they returned to the men, causing the others to exchange quizzical looks.
"What's so funny, Yelena?" asked Melletin.
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She shook her head, with not enough breath to string two words together.
"Women!" Ramil muttered to Gordoc, though his eyes were on Tashi who was caressing Flake with a secretive smile on her lips.
The travellers split up when they reached the main road. Melletin and Yelena were to scout ahead and ride back if there was trouble; otherwise they arranged to meet at the Yellow Dog, an inn on the border with Kandar.